Why I miss Julia Gillard

Arabella Wauchope

I celebrated Julia Gillard becoming our first female prime minister and dreamt of a political future, as did many girls.

Then we witnessed the crude harassment, disgusting personal comments, threats and derogatory questions she had to endure while in office. Some of us can recite sections of her ''misogyny'' speech that went around the world.

Now we have elected Tony Abbott to lead the country, and have a political environment pretty much devoid of women at the top.

Young women who have observed what was done to our first female prime minister are now growing up in a world that believes how she was treated - by the Liberal and Labor parties - was OK. The long-term consequences could plague Australia for lifetimes to come because girls and women might not be interested in reaching for the top in politics.

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We were warned of this future by none other than the woman who received the brunt of the misogyny. Gillard warned us of the ''repulsive double standards'' Abbott has regarding women. She told us a vote for Abbott would spell the end of women's voices in our political life. That our voices would be drowned out in a sea of blue ties. With now only one woman in his cabinet, her fears were right. Abbott believes that one woman in cabinet is enough.

At the state level - with only one female premier - the future is no brighter. The more women are attacked in their political roles, the more numb we appear to become about it. We are growing up in a society that accepts comments such as ''the prime minister's father died of shame'' as OK.

This provokes questions about the treatment of women in politics in the future - will it get any better? Girls are growing up on an unhealthy diet of the mistreatment of women and their disappearance from politics entirely.

What women will unfortunately take away from Gillard's prime ministership is how mercilessly and relentlessly she was attacked for everything she did or attempted. And how she has disappeared from public life, as if kowtowing to the bully boys' wishes.

She has moved back to her and my home state, South Australia, yet has been completely absent from the political debate before our state election.

The future for women in Australian politics can be redirected from the path it is on right now. Our only option is to convince women - especially young women and girls like me, a 14-year-old - to enter politics.

Gillard hoped her time in the top job would influence young women to think of politics as a future career, and to aim for the top job. Unfortunately our current federal government is not saying the same thing.

Her hard work, resilience and dignity through her prime ministership was inspiring. While some girls will think of the hardship she experienced and wonder whether it was worth it, others like me now want to get more involved in politics and will continue to be inspired by her. We miss her.

Arabella Wauchope is a year 9 student at Adelaide High School

305 comments

I disliked Julia Gillard simply because she was unprincipled. That she was a woman had nothing to do with it. The Thompson debacle and the subsequent uncovering of what the Labor machine did to try to cover it up and make it go away is a very big case in point. That Gillard could rail so strongly against misogyny and then poach Slipper is another. Don't get me wrong, I think little more of the Liberals, and indeed the Greens as co-conspirators with Labor.

Make no mistake - society did not for a moment think comments such as "died of shame" were ok. I didn't like or respect her, but comments like that are never ok.

Please go into politics if that's what you want to do, but live in the real world for a while first. Get a job where you meet the level of worker Thompson stole from. People who make this country tick. They might not advance it, but we can't function without them. Develop your principles and then maintain them should you seek office. Woman or man, do this and you will be largely treated with respect except by those who have forgotten (or never learned) decency.

Don't miss Julia Gillard, she was an as unprincipled leader as this country has ever had. But do be inspired by the fact that we had a female prime minister and will have one again. And look forward to the day, as I do, when what's in the PM's undies has absolutely zero relevance to anything.

Commenter

Harvey K-Tel

Date and time

February 20, 2014, 3:29AM

Unprincipled! You must be joking! Just watch Your PM Abbott and you will gain lessons in "unprincipled" every day. He thinks he can apologise away anything he's called on like absolution after misdemeanours and deliberately ignores half the picture on every thing from climate change, education, health, to operational matters and crossing national borders! Unprincipled and a sham!

Commenter

sangela

Date and time

February 20, 2014, 7:14AM

That would be the bit where I said I think little more of the Liberals and the Greens. But yes, Gillard was every bit as unprincipled as Abbott et al.

Commenter

Harvey K-Tel

Date and time

February 20, 2014, 7:25AM

@sangela - the character of Tony Abbott and the character of Julia Gillard are separate things. The point being made wasn't a relative one, but an absolute one. What Tony Abbott is like as PM now has nothing to do with the points that the poster was making about how Julia Gillard was PM then.

Do you understand this?

Argue the points about Ms Gillard if you want to but this relativism disease that infests these comments sections is getting ridiculous.

Commenter

David

Location

Sydney

Date and time

February 20, 2014, 7:33AM

Unprincipled? Gillard's agenda was education reform affecting the entire country's population of children. Giving Slipper the flick likely meant the kids would have missed out due to his ridiculous behaviour.

Commenter

Rachael

Location

Sydney

Date and time

February 20, 2014, 7:54AM

Craig Thomson and Peter Slipper were both entitled to due process and Gillard was not obliged to throw them to the wolves simply so that Abbott could be handed Government on a plate.

Commenter

jofek

Date and time

February 20, 2014, 8:02AM

Blame the little sailors when get caught - what kind of principle Abbott and Co operate on ?

Commenter

Mais51

Location

Sydney

Date and time

February 20, 2014, 8:03AM

Unprincipled? Of course, Tony Abbott was very principled in claiming tax payers funded travel allowances for his charity bike rides. Of course, he was very principled in supporting his ministers to claim tax payers funded allowances to attend personal weddings.

Commenter

StephenCastlecrag

Date and time

February 20, 2014, 8:05AM

Yes, she has no principles.

Remember all her hoo-ha about misogyny? Well, she went to the UAE and didn't mention anything about it. In fact, when questioned about equal representation involving woman in leadership roles in the Middle East, she said: "Ah, well, ah, it, you know, it’s, ah, not, not for me, ah, to, ah, you know, determine how, ah, countries and individuals approach these issues …".

Unprincipled.

Commenter

Phil Dunphy

Location

Mulwala

Date and time

February 20, 2014, 8:06AM

The hypocrisy from the Coalition cheer squad is priceless and hilarious. If you want to see unprincipled, just look at Abbott and his bunch of incompetents.

I miss Julia Gillard too. I miss that our current leadership lacks any sort of humility, grace, dignity, honesty, empathy or leadership.

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